Prince Philip Hospitalised In London With An Infection

Queen Elizabeth’s husband is being monitored at King Edward VII Hospital in London as a precautionary measure, the BBC reports. Last month, the family announced that 96-year-old Philip will be stepping away from public duties in the fall and begin moving toward retirement.

“Prince Philip is in good spirits and is disappointed to be missing the State Opening of Parliament and Royal Ascot,” said Buckingham Palace in a statement on Wednesday. “Her Majesty is being kept informed and will attend Royal Ascot as planned this afternoon.”

As per tradition, the queen gave a speech to Parliament Wednesday morning announcing the government’s legislative agenda. This year’s speech had dramatically less fanfare surrounding it, with the queen arriving by car rather than horse-drawn carriage and wearing a suit and hat instead of ceremonial robes and a crown. This is the first time with “reduced ceremonial events” since 1974, according to the BBC. Officials said the dressing down of the ceremony is due to time constraints placed by the special election and conflicts with Queen Elizabeth’s schedule.

Prince Charles escorted the queen to the event, taking over the duties that would normally be reserved for his father. Prince Philip previously missed the queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 due to a bladder infection that also led to hospitalization.